


Our Own Little Paradise

by Estelle14



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Mostly fluff though, Mutual Pining, No Beta, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, i don't know what i'm doing so please bear with me, jaskier needs a hug and geralt volunteers as a tribute but is shy about it, mermaid au, merman!geralt, roach is a mood here really, seahorse!roach
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:28:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28055403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estelle14/pseuds/Estelle14
Summary: He was about to finish his sentence when he heard it. The music. It was beautiful and haunting, begging him to get nearer. At first he thought that it was a merfolk like him, but no, he thought, it was impossible. No merfolk in their right minds would sing this close to the surface.Roach looked at him before pointing to the opposite direction. She was probably right, he should get out of here, before being discovered.  But the melody was so beautiful, the lyrics raw and filled with melancholia, making him crave for more. However, what made him get closer was the voice, sweet and gentle, yet so powerful and, oh, so sad. He had to know who it belonged to.After a fight with his father, Jaskier finds himself on the banks of a lake, playing his lute and processing his feelings. He did not expect anyone to be watching him, especially not a gorgeous merman.
Relationships: Aiden/Lambert (mentioned only), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 43
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Took some time to work up the courage to write this, and some more to share it. Please be gentle, it's my first fanfic. This has not been edited and it's 2am so yeah, i probably need some sleep right now.

Jaskier was angry. His father had thrown a tantrum again. It was always for the same reasons, always the same speeches.  
You are the future of Lettenhove, Julian, act like it, he would say. Jaskier was used to it and most of the time he would not pay attention to his father’s lectures. However, this time the latter had attacked his interests. He had blamed his son’s love for poetry and singing for his “unacceptable” behavior and even went as far as threatening to take away his lute as if he was some 8 years old child and not a grown man. Consequently, Jaskier had stormed out of the castle with his said lute and his sister in tow, trying but failing to calm him down. Therefore, when he crossed the borders of Lettenhove, she had stopped following him, deciding to give him some time alone to calm down. 

He knew that it was only a matter of time before it all came up. His love for poetry and music was acceptable when he was a child. His parents had thought that it would go away as he was getting older but they had been wrong. To his father’s dismay, his love for the arts had grown stronger throughout the years.  
During his rebellious teenage years, Jaskier had started rejecting the duties given to him as the heir of Lettenhove. Thus to appease his desires, his parents had let him attend the University of Oxenfurt, to study the seven liberal arts, under the condition that he would do his duties afterwards. He had accepted and on his return, after years away from home, they had expected him to be a better son and a better viscount. However, even if he listened to them a bit more and mostly did what was asked of him. Oxenfurt had sharpened his lust for adventure and being back in the castle felt dull now. 

Hearing his father’s disappointments and his mother’s tired sighs was easy enough most of the time, but if they were thinking about taking away his music Jaskier would not allow it. Nopes, not today, not ever, he swore. Why wasn’t his presence enough? He could have easily run away and never come back, but he had thought about what it could mean for his family and came back. Most days he did what was asked of him, but he made it clear that he would not neglect his passion nonetheless. What more did they want of him? Was he not enough?

Growing more frustrated, with each passing second, Jaskier walked faster, not wanting to be anywhere near Lettenhove. After half an hour, he found himself in the middle of a forest. He looked around and realized that he did not recognize the area. Stomping his foot on the ground he decided to continue down the trail before him, the idea of turning around and going back home, made him more frustrated. He could not face his father again right now, no, thank you very much.  
A couple of minutes later, after passing a series of pine trees, Jaskier found himself on the banks of a small open valley lake just outside the forest. The view was breathtaking. The lake was a perfect u shape, surrounded by lands made of pine trees and daisies, before ultimately connecting with the ocean. The water was a clear turquoise blue, with water lilies of various colors floating on the surface. 

Jaskier looked around, worried that there could be anyone nearby, before realizing that he was alone in this little piece of paradise. He sat down on the banks and took out his lute. This was exactly what he needed right now to calm his nerves. Why would his parents not accept him as he was? Was he not doing what they asked of him? Why did they want to take his music away?  
Sighing, his fingers started dancing on the strings of the lute, the notes filling the peaceful silence around him. Then came the words, raw and descriptive of his feelings. It came as naturally as breathing to him. Music had always helped him face and process his emotions, calming him when he was angry, soothing him when he was sad, and expressing his joy when he was happy. Now more than ever, it was helping him, along with the beautiful scenery. 

~~~~~~

Geralt was swimming near the human lands as he always did. If Vesemir could see him right now, he would have probably been in serious trouble. He could almost hear his father’s voice warning him about the humans that lived on the surface of the ocean.  
Humans fear what they do not understand Geralt, and fear makes them do cruel things. Never go near their territories son.  
However he had always liked this part of the ocean, the water was different from the ones he used to swim in at home. The flowers were beautiful and the lands such a pretty green. Not like the dark ones he was used to, no, a light green of different shades, contrasting with the blue of the water. Even the flowers were different, the colors and textures, unlike the ones he was used to. He had tried bringing some of them home, but they had all died not used to the seawater. The fishes around here were so friendly as well and somehow he had never seen a human near these parts of the lands, therefore he felt safe here. This small area of water was his secret place, his little paradise. 

Geralt went on the surface and smiled as Roach, his seahorse and best friend, swam beside him and hit his arm with her tail for the fifth time, clearly asking for him to go back home. It had been hours since they were here, and even if Roach was not like the other seahorses, and was blessed with chaos, like him, he knew that she could not stay in freshwater for too long. It was not dangerous, but it did make her irritable.

“Hmm? Okay, alright you won. Let’s go back…”

He was about to finish his sentence when he heard it. The music. It was beautiful and haunting, begging him to get close. At first, he thought that it was a merfolk like him, but no, he thought, it was impossible. No merfolk in their right minds would sing this close to the surface.  
Roach looked at him before pointing to the opposite direction. She was probably right, he should get out of here, before being discovered. But the melody was so beautiful, the lyrics raw and filled with melancholia, thus making him crave for more. In the end, what made him get closer was the voice, sweet and gentle, yet so powerful and, oh, so sad. He had to know who it belonged to. Roach huffed, knowing that Geralt would do what Geralt does best, get in trouble. 

He went towards the sound of the music and peeked at the banks when he saw it, or to be more accurate, him. The silhouette of a man sitting with an instrument and singing his heart out. Geralt went closer, despite Roach’s protests, to get a better look at the stranger, and gods he was painfully beautiful. He was wearing a green matching outfit, that looked more refined than what he used to see on humans. His short and wavy brown hair was flowing in the wind and he looked well built. 

The music was clearer now, and the stranger looked as sad as he sounded. His eyes were closed and his slender fingers were dancing flawlessly on the strings. For a moment Geralt felt like he was intruding, he should not be spying on the man like this. However, he was entranced by the music, unable to tear his gaze away from the stranger.

He did not know how long he had been there when suddenly the man’s voice cracked, and he stopped playing. With a sigh escaping his lips, he shook his head and tucked his instrument away before getting up. Geralt found himself needing to comfort the stranger before he was gone. So he closed his eyes and called upon his chaos. Roach was hitting his arm but he ignored her again. It may be dangerous, but he did not care right now. The water around him started to tremble and he focused his energy on a water lily and made it glide on the surface of the water towards the banks where the stranger was getting ready to leave. Just as the man was turning away the flower hit the back of his boots. He looked back and frowned before looking down and picking up the flower. A smile lit up his face and Geralt could not help but smile too. He had made the human happy! 

“Is anyone here?” the man asked.

Geralt dived a bit more in the water. It was one thing to look at the human from afar, but to talk to him. Only the gods knew how the man might react upon seeing him, and they would not be able to save him if Vesemir was to learn about it.

After a couple of minutes in silence, the stranger shook his head and shouted a “Thank you” before turning away with the small flower tucked safely in his hands and light laughter escaping his lips.

You’re welcome, Geralt whispered, as he turned away too, ready to go home. Roach was glaring at him at this point, but he would deal with it later with a dish of shrimp for her as a treat. Now though the human was on his mind. It was the first time he had seen one this close and near his little piece of paradise. It owed to have made him worried, but if it meant that the stranger could come back and sing again, he found that he did not care at all. This place was big enough, he could share.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some time hidden behind a pine tree, and not seeing anyone, he approached the boat cautiously. When he got closer to it, he found a water lily placed carefully on one of the wooden seats. The realization hit him, as he looked around frantically, searching for whoever had placed it here for him to see. He was not crazy then! Something had been watching him yesterday and had given him the flower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovelies!! So this is the second part of this little au here. I was not expecting the response I got on the first chapter so thank you very much to all of you!! Every time someone said that they liked it, I was really confused, but it felt very nice and warmed my little heart. There is going to be 5 parts to this. It started as a one-part thing, then it turned to three, then four and now it's 5 I guess. Enjoy my lovelies, hope you like it!!

The walk back home was done in peace. Jaskier could not stop smiling as he watched the water lily in his hand. At some point, while singing, even if he had made sure that he was alone before starting to play, Jaskier had felt as if someone was watching him. However, he had not paid attention to this detail, too concentrated on his music to care. The flower was strange as well. He was getting ready to leave when he had felt a small pressure against his boots and found the latter. The water around the lake looked more agitated as well, contrary to how it was when he first arrived. Maybe someone was watching him and felt bad about it? Or perhaps the person had seen that he was not okay and wanted to make him feel better? How could he have not seen anyone though? And how were they able to send a flower to him, using the water? 

Jaskier sighed, shaking his head. No, it could all have been a coincidence. Water lilies float on water and perhaps the current sent it towards him. Whatever it was though, he was thankful for it as it did help him feel better. 

As soon as he entered the town, people started nodding and smiling at him. Growing up, his father had taught him how important it was to be well-liked by his people, and Jaskier liked to think that he did a good job at it. The people of Lettenhove were a lovely bunch though, so it was not too hard of a task. Smiling, he went straight to the castle where his sister was waiting for him.

“Are you calm now?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jaskier huffed and went past her. He hated it when she took a patronizing tone with him.

“Julian, you should talk to them and not get this defensive about it, we all know how it ends. I would like to have one happy family dinner, just like we used to when we were children,” she said while following him.

“I would like this as well, but it seems like we haven’t been able to listen to each other for quite some years now,” Jaskier answered, his hands softly touching the Lily in his hands.

It looked like the small flower was giving him the comfort he needed. He loved his sister very much and felt that she was her only ally in this house. However, he was finding it hard to talk to her these days.

“What is this?” the latter asked pointing at Jaskier’s hands.

“A flower obviously, Dear sister.”

“I know that. Where does it come from?”

“Well, this is a secret.”

With a wink, Jaskier went up in his room. Leaving his lute on his bed, he looked for a small bowl and put fresh water in it for his Water Lily. Perhaps it was silly, but he really loved this little flower. It was what had made him smile on this horrible day. He had really liked his time away near the lake. He truly needed some time alone away from Lettenhove, so perhaps he would go back soon.

~~~~~~~

Soon was the next day apparently. Jaskier had finished his lunch when he decided that he wanted to go back to the lake. This place truly felt like paradise and he needed it right now. When the time came, he packed up some snacks he got from the kitchen and placed his lute case on his back, before picking up a fishing rod he found in the castle. It would be a cover to get out of the house without being questioned. He then dressed up accordingly treading his usual doublet for an open v neck white blouse and light blue high waisted pants.

Jaskier was almost out the door when his father came towards him. 

“Where are you going?” he asked, frowning at his son’s attires.

“Fishing,” Jaskier answered shortly before turning away, hoping he would be left alone.

“Fishing? Since when do you fish?”

Well looks like it might not go as easy as planned, Jaskier thought. Sighing, he turned back to his father, who was looking at him attentively. Jaskier crossed his arms and put on a tight smile on his face, ready for another altercation.

“Since you asked me to have new interests, father,” he replied after a few moments.

“Julian, you know that we did not mean this,” his father protested while shaking his head.

“You threatened to take my music away, so this is exactly what you meant. Now if you’ll excuse me. The fishes won’t wait for me.”

“Stop acting like a child, Julian.”

“Stop treating me like one.”

They stood there in silence, the tension rising between them. Everyone in the castle knew that it was not unusual for the Viscount and his son to squabble all the time, and they all knew not to get between them. 

“Is everything alright?” Jaskier’s sister questioned from behind, breaking the eye contact between them as they turned to look at her.

Both men found her, frowning at them.

“Yes, Dear sister. I was just going fishing and our Dear father here was wishing me good luck, being supportive as always,” Jaskier replied, smiling at her, “Now if you’ll excuse me,” he added before bowing his head and finally leaving the castle.

Jaskier was fuming when he got to the lake. Why would his father not leave him alone? Sighing, he stopped in his track when he found a boat on the banks of the lake. It looked old and was made of wood. It was small and a plain dark brown, which gave it a rather rustic look. Jaskier frowned, thinking that there may be someone around. 

After some time hidden behind a pine tree, and not seeing anyone, he approached the boat cautiously. When he got closer to it, he found a water lily placed carefully on one of the wooden seats. The realization hit him, as he looked around frantically, looking for whoever had placed it here for him to see. He was not crazy then! Something had been watching him yesterday and had given him the flower.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” He said cautiously, “Come on, come out, I don’t bite. Only when asked to, at least,” he added with a small laugh.

Only silence met him though. Whoever was behind this did not want to talk.

“Is this for me?” Jaskier asked again, pointing at the boat and the flower, hoping that this time he would get an answer.

When he heard nothing but the birds singing, and the wind rushing through the trees, he smiled sadly. He shook his head, ready to turn away when the water in front of him started to tremble and several water lilies were pushed towards him. A smile lit up his face as he looked towards the lake again. Whatever it was, it must be in the water!

“This must be a yes, then. Thank you very much for the gifts, I love them! Do you want me to get on the boat to get closer?”

The water trembled again and Jaskier took it as a positive answer and started pushing the boat. He did not really know how it worked and how to row one, but he could learn.

“Wait, this is not a trap, is it? You are not going to drown me or something?” he asked slowly.

It could be dangerous, he did not know what it was or its intentions. And apparently, it could control water, which made it powerful. This could all be a way to bring down his defenses and murder him. However, when the water trembled again, and more flowers were sent his way, Jaskier threw caution out the window and pushed the boat before getting on it. The water around him moved on its own and drove him farther away from the banks. The boat stopped in the middle of the lake, far enough from the parts where it drained into the ocean so that he might not get taken away by the current. 

“Well, what now?” Jaskier asked as he sat there alone in the middle of the water.

“You’re not chatty, are you? What are you? Can you even talk?”’ he continued when silence met him, “Does not matter though, I have enough conversation for two!”

Gods, he truly hoped there was no one else around, he would look rather silly speaking alone in the middle of a lake.

“Do you have a name though?” he asked again. “It would be nice not to refer to you as “the thing in the water”.”

Jaskier was prepared to be left without answers when the water trembled again. He decided to cautiously look overboard, to see what was happening. Various Water Lilies were moving slowly and forming a pattern. Jaskier squinted at them, trying to understand what it meant. At least whatever was here with him, wanted to communicate now. Slowly the flowers started to form letters which turned into a word.

“G.E.R.A.L.T. Geralt!” Jaskier gasped happily, “Your name is Geralt! Such a pretty name!” he added.

The gift-giver was shy and it did take time to get something out of them, but at least they had a name now. It was all so exciting!

“Nice to meet you Geralt, my name is Jaskier. Thank you for your gifts again. I love them. The Water Lily from yesterday is near my bed now, and I swear that I shall cherish it as long as I can. It was very nice of you to send it to me, especially since I was not feeling great. However... well, I don’t have anything to give to you right now but I would like to, as a thank you. Do you want anything?”

Jaskier chewed anxiously on his bottom lip, waiting for an answer from Geralt. He hoped that whatever his new friend wanted, he could give it to them. The water lilies started to move again and formed another word.

S.I.N.G.

“Sing? You want me to sing for you?” Jaskier asked as a smile formed on his lips.

A song. This was all they were asking for. Jaskier laughed a little, glad that his new friend liked music. He could sing all day if they wanted to hear him to. 

The flowers started to move again. P.R.E.T.T.Y V.O.I.C.E, they spelled. 

“Aww, Geralt! Thank you so much! You are so sweet. Well, your wish is my command, Dear Heart!” 

With a smile, Jaskier took out his lute from its case and started playing for his new friend. He hoped that it was showing to Geralt how grateful he was to have met him. Although he did not see it, the merman was smiling at him as well, hidden not far away, where he could watch and listen to his favorite human, without getting caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geralt will be back in the next part along with Roach. Eskel and Lambert will appear as well so stay tuned people!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovelies!! I am so sorry that this took so long. I took a little pause from Ao3 and Tumblr because of uni, but I am back now and have a lot of inspiration and new ideas. Here is a longer chapter than usual as an apology for the wait, hope that you like it!!

After the human was gone, Geralt went back home. Swimming through the rough waters surrounding the valley and fortress of Kaer Morhen, his thoughts were filled with the stranger. The bright smile on his face as he cradled the water lily, before leaving, filled Geralt with a nice feeling he could not quite describe. He hoped that the man was feeling better now, that whatever was troubling him earlier was gone. If not, he could always come back to the lake, Geralt did not mind. 

The whole way home, Roach had looked straight ahead, not once sparing a glance at Geralt, which meant that she was really angry. He had to do something about it, or else she would be insufferable, and honestly, he did not like it very much when she was mad at him. Roach was his best friend after all. 

“Roach?” he tried softly. 

When the latter ignored him and continued to swim as if she did not hear anything, Geralt sighed. Gods, she has such an attitude, he thought smiling fondly.

“Come on, are you mad at me?," he continued, "Alright, I know that it was dangerous, but you can’t blame me for being curious. I wanted to leave, but his music was so beautiful and he was so sad. I just wanted to make him feel better. Roach? Can you forgive me?”

When silence met him, Geralt rolled his eyes and approached the seahorse cautiously. He would have to use his last resort, then. Treats.

“Maybe a dish of shrimp will help you consider forgiving me?” he said slowly, waiting for a reaction.

When Roach slowed down a little, Geralt knew that he had her attention. Shrimps were her weaknesses. No matter how angry and stubborn she was, she could not resist them.

Geralt had just arrived in the valley of Kaer Morhen when he saw his brothers from afar. Oh no, nopes, he thought before swimming straight towards the fortress. He loved his brothers but he could not deal with them right now. If they saw that Roach was angry, as she was not very subtle with her feelings, they would want to know why and frankly, he did not want to tell them about his encounter with the human man. Telling them, meant telling Vesemir about it, and nope, he was not ready for that. He wanted to stay alive just a bit longer.

As soon as he passed the doors of the keep, Geralt went straight to the kitchen, relieved that Vesemir was nowhere to be found. There, he took a bowl and filled it with shrimps, before turning towards Roach who was following him slowly. She eyed the bowl wistfully, but did not move further and glared at him. Geralt approached her slowly and put the bowl in front of her.  
Roach huffed, before giving in and started eating. Geralt hid his smile as he watched her. She was still a little irritable but at least she was not ignoring him. Knowing he was half-forgiven now, Geralt left her there and went straight to his room before anyone could come to him and ask questions.

When he was finally alone, the human came back to his mind, especially the sound of his voice. Geralt could still hear the melody and even hummed it without realizing it. Every time he closed his eyes, he also saw the man’s face. The sad look that had transformed into happiness, his smile, his fluffy hair in the wind, and his fingers. Long, slender, and mesmerizing as they danced on the strings of his instrument. Geralt wanted to see him again, and this time he wanted him to be closer. Perhaps, he should give him something else, in case he comes back. Something that could get him closer to the water, where Geralt felt most at ease. Roach would kill him for it, but he would just have to replenish his supply of shrimps and it would be okay. 

It was decided then, tomorrow he would go back to paradise and find something to give to the human. Even if he was not sure that the man would come back, it was worth a shot. Besides, if anyone were to find out about it, he was just concerned by the man’s happiness, nothing else.

~~~~

The next day, on his way to paradise, Geralt found an old boat floating too far away from the human lands. Perfect, he thought. It was probably abandoned or lost at sea, so it would not be missed by anyone, he could give it his...no, the human. The man was definitely not his. Not that Geralt wanted him to be. Of course not.

He went near the boat and used his chaos in order to make it move in whatever direction he wanted. Roach watched him cautiously from the sidelines, curiosity in her small eyes.

"It’s a gift for the human in case he comes back," he said cautiously. 

Roach gasped and started headbutting him on the arm. Her face was scrunched up in anger and exasperation, so Geralt knew that he would have to bride her with shrimps again tonight. 

"Don't be angry. I just want to be friends with him. You saw him yesterday, he didn't look dangerous did he?" 

Roach narrowed her eyes, and when she stopped kicking him, Geralt knew that he had made a point. She has seen too that the human did not look threatening. In fact, he looked gentle and nice. 

"If you do not want to come it’s okay, I know that you don’t like freshwater that much. But I just want to know that you, my best friend, are okay with my choice to befriend the human." 

The seahorse eyed him attentively, thinking about his words. Geralt knew that she just wanted him to be safe, he just had to reassure her. 

"I’ll be fine Roach, I’ll stay hidden, just like yesterday, " he said softly. 

He could not face the human, even if he wanted to. The man would probably run away screaming if he did. Roach sighed and rolled her eyes, before swimming ahead in the direction of the lake. 

"You are coming with me? " Geralt asked, frowning. 

The seahorse huffed. Of course, she would, he thought, she was not one to say no to a new adventure. Smiling, he followed her, happy that he had her blessings. 

They arrived at the lake a couple of minutes later. Geralt took a small water lily and placed it in the boat, as a message for the human that there was no danger. 

He waited there for hours, with an impatient Roach, hidden behind the cliffs where the valley was connected to the ocean. Why was he not there yet? Perhaps he would not come. Geralt felt stupid, feeling a bit more disappointed than he anticipated. He knew that there was a chance that the stranger would not come back, but it still stung. 

Just before giving up, Geralt saw a familiar silhouette on the banks, staring at the small boat. A smile spread on his lips, as he lets out a sigh of relief. Roach huffed beside him, but he did not care. He was here! The human was here!

The man stayed hidden behind a tree for a couple of minutes before coming out and approached the boat cautiously. Geralt could point out the exact moment when the stranger saw the flower. He looked around frantically, surely searching for whoever had placed the boat there. Geralt ducked instinctively, even though he knew that there was no chance of being seen, he could not risk it.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” the man exclaimed, “Come on, come out, I don’t bite. Only when asked to, at least,” he added with a small laugh.

Geralt smiled fondly and felt Roach shaking her head beside him. Hmm, interesting. So he was handsome, talented and funny. 

“Is this for me?” he asked again, pointing at the boat and the flower.

Geralt sighed, as he saw the man’s wistful face, hoping for an answer from him. He wished he could just go up to the stranger and say hello, but it was not this simple. He could not risk scaring him away, and Vesemir would not be very happy about him going up to a human. So he should just admire the human from afar, even if the latter clearly wanted to see him.

After several seconds in silence, the stranger shook his head and turned away. Geralt realised that he was about to leave. No! Don’t go, he thought. He looked around frantically, trying to find a way for him to stay. Roach nudged him and pushed a water lily towards him. Oh, you genius! He took a deep breath and called upon his chaos, before focusing on the several flowers around them. The water around him started to tremble and it was not long before a group of water lily was sent towards the human. A smile lit up the latter’s face as he turned back towards the lake. The stranger got close to the boat again, before thanking him for the gifts, saying how much he loved them. Geralt nodded unconsciously and smiled, glad that his ideas in gifts were not completely bad. 

“Do you want me to get on the boat, to get closer?” the man asked.

Geralt made the water tremble again to answer him. He wanted the stranger to get closer. It was a dangerous game, but one Geralt was willing to play. 

The man started pushing the boat, but then stopped, before frowning. 

"Wait, this is not a trap, is it? You are not going to drown me or something?” he demanded slowly.

Geralt felt Roach chuckling beside him, and an amused smile spread on his lips as well. He understood that the man was trying to be cautious, it was not a bad thing. It was funny though that he was thinking about safety now, after spending the last ten minute speaking to an unknown creature.  
Geralt had to make him know that he would not hurt him though, so he used his chaos and sent more flowers towards the stranger.  
Apparently, it was enough, as the man shrugged before pushing the boat further and climbed on it. Geralt chuckled and started controlling the water, pulling the boat further from the banks and closer to him. The man's features became clearer, with each passing second. Brown hair, broad shoulders, tall figure, cornflower blue eyes… Was he truly human? 

Geralt stopped the boat when it was in the middle of the lake, at a safe distance from him, but not too far. After some time in silence, the stranger started talking, commenting on Geralt's silence and how he had enough conversation for both of them. Roach huffed at that and Geralt shrugged and nodded. The human did talk a lot. 

“Do you have a name though?” the latter asked, “It would be nice not to refer to you as “the thing in the water”."

Geralt frowned. It truly would be quite convenient if he could tell his name to the stranger without actually talking to him. Roach kicked his arm and showed a water lily to him. Geralt looked at her and an idea came to him. 

"Stay here," he said.

Before she could stop him, he dived in the water and went towards the boat. His eyes and ears adjusted quickly and everything was clear as if he was on the surface. He was just a couple of feet underneath the boat when he used his chaos again and made the flowers above him, spell his name. 

“G.E.R.A.L.T. Geralt!” he heard the human gasp happily, “Your name is Geralt! Such a pretty name!”

Geralt could feel a slight blush on his cheeks, glad that the man liked his name. 

“Nice to meet you Geralt, my name is Jaskier," he heard as the man continued. 

Jaskier. He liked the sound of it and found it quite fitting. A beautiful name for a beautiful man, he thought. 

"Thank you for your gifts again. I love them," Jaskier exclaimed, "The Water Lily from yesterday is near my bed now, and I swear that I shall cherish it as long as I can. It was very nice of you to send it to me, especially since I was not feeling great. However... well, I don’t have anything to give to you right now but I would like to, as a thank you. Do you want anything?”

Do I? Geralt thought, as Roach swam next to him. He did not expect that Jaskier would want to give him something in return, as a sign of gratitude. When giving the gifts, Geralt did not have the intention of demanding to get something back. However, if it was important for the human, then he could think of it. His mind went back to the melody of yesterday and it all felt right. He closed his eyes and moved the flowers again. 

S.I.N.G, they spelled now. 

“Sing? You want me to sing for you?” Jaskier replied, a smile spreading on his lips.

P.R.E.T.T.Y V.O.I.C.E, Geralt responded. Beautiful even, he thought. The man's voice had been haunting him since yesterday. 

“Aww, Geralt! Thank you so much! You are so sweet. Well, your wish is my command, Dear Heart!”

Dear Heart? Geralt felt a strange pressure in his chest at the sound of these words, however, he did not have the time to think about it as a melody started playing. Instantly, he felt at peace. Jaskier’s voice filled the air, and the whole place went silent as if listening to him. The wind had calmed down, not a bird could be heard and the water did not make a sound as well. It was as if the human had enchanted the whole valley with his music. Side eyeing Geralt with a knowing look, Roach started moving her little tail to the rhythm of the music too, not being able to resist the pull of the melody. His music is charming the whole valley, the merman thought, more importantly, it is charming me. Unable to look away, Geralt let Jaskier's voice filled his head and found that it did bother him that much, he was already charmed.

~~~~~~

The days went by, days that became weeks. Weeks where Geralt and Jaskier had met every day without interruption and had spent hours together. Each time, they parted, Geralt knew something new about the human and his life. He knew about his family, his interests, and especially his deep yearning for adventure. Slowly the human became important for Geralt, and he knew that Jaskier felt the same. He had used the word “friend” to refer to Geralt once, and it had made the latter grin for days. The merman always looked forward to meeting the human and listening to him talk and sing for hours. Roach would wander around while the two of them would communicate using the flowers.  
These hours with Jaskier were the highlights of Geralt’s days. The human had truly brightened the merman’s life, his family had seen the change in him as well. His brother Eskel said that he looked happier than usual and Vesemir always had a questioning look on his face but never actually asked them. Even Lambert made a sly comment or two sometimes. 

The first weeks with Jaskier were the best ones, it all felt new and each day the human had more stories to tell. However, as time passed, Geralt found that he wanted more. He wanted more than just being underwater and watching Jaskier from afar. He wanted to be near the human, to be able to look him in eyes, to touch him, and ...oh. He had fallen. He had fallen hard, but how could he not? Jaskier was so lovable, like a bright sun that had brought so much light in his life. It took time but in the end, Geralt had accepted the fact that he inevitably had feelings for Jaskier.

These last few days though, another feeling was haunting the merman. Guilt. Jaskier had trusted him since the first day and had opened up to him rather easily. Each week, he had new stories and would talk about his feelings and Geralt was grateful about it. He was glad that Jaskier had so much faith in him. However, the human did not know anything about him other than his name and it did not feel right. He wanted Jaskier to know that he trusted him back, he wanted to talk to him face to face instead of using flowers, but he had no idea how. He could not just pop out of the water one day and say hi. No, he had to think this through, he needed a plan to approach Jaskier and tell him about his thoughts on their newfound friendship. He had no idea how though, and it was frustrating.

Geralt was sitting at a table in Kaer Morhen, lost in thoughts when both his brothers came up to him.

“Alright, what’s going on Geralt?” Eskel asked as he sat down in front of the latter.

“Hmm, what?” Geralt asked, looking at both of them.

Now was not the right time. He needed to find a solution for his problems. He truly could not deal with his brothers right now, especially Lambert. 

“You haven’t been yourself lately,” Eskel explained.

“Not myself?” Geralt responded. 

Yes, he may have been distracted lately, but he was still him. 

“You’ve been sighing and pouting like a brat these last few days,” Lambert declared after a moment. 

“Lambert!” Eskel scolded. 

“What?”

“We agreed that you’d be nice.”

“You agreed, I did not."

Geralt watched his brothers closely. So they had talked about him and had discussed amongst themselves before coming. They must have truly been worried, he thought. Lambert rolled his eyes and turned towards him.

“So what is it?" he sighed, "Are you in love or something?”

Geralt blinked. He had not expected having to talk about this so soon in the conversation. 

“I..well” he stuttered, looking for the right words to say. 

“He actually is!” Lambert snorted his hand slapping the table as if he had resolved some great mystery. 

“You are one to talk. How’s Aiden?” Geralt taunted, before raising an eyebrow. 

"Shut up!" 

His brother had been in a relationship with another merman for quite some time now. Therefore, Geralt thought that it was quite interesting that Lambert was the one laughing about his situation, when he was the one who had been madly in love with someone for a long time. 

“Anyway!” Eskel intervened, not wanting them to lose track of the conversation, “Geralt, do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah Geralt, spit it out, then we can call it a day, " Lambert agreed, “Who are they?”

Geralt took a deep breath. He had been anticipating this conversation with his brothers for a long time. There was no way of escaping it now. 

“He is a friend. " he began, "And uumm, he is human.”

The silence in the room was deafening. Geralt watched as his brothers gaped at him, mouth opened and eyes wide. 

“A human?" Eskel asked after a few moments. 

"Yeah," Geralt answered. 

His eyes went from one brother to another, waiting for their reactions. It was not quite popular for a merman to approach a human. They had been warned several times not to do so actually. 

“Well this just got more interesting, ” Lambert exclaimed, “When Vesemir will hear about this!”

Most of the time, he was always the one getting reprimanded by the old merman so watching Geralt go through it this time, would be quite a sight.

"Can he be trusted?" Eskel asked, frowning. 

"Yes," Geralt answered quickly, "He is different from the other humans." 

His brothers raised their eyebrows, not yet convinced by his words, which made Geralt sigh. He did not want to tell them too much about Jaskier but it looked like he had now.

“We have been communicating for the last few weeks and he is nice and funny... and gentle-”

"Oh my gods, I can’t hear this," Lambert mumbled, shaking his head. 

"You should see yourself when you talk about Aiden," Eskel retorted with a smirk on his lips. 

His attention then went back to Geralt. 

“Okay so he is a great person," he continued, "Then what’s wrong?”

Geralt sighed before pressing a hand to his face. Well there goes nothing, he thought. 

“He does not know who or what i am yet.”

He saw the confusion on his brothers' faces as they looked at each other frowning. Geralt took a deep breath and told them about everything. His meeting with Jaskier, the gifts, the flowers, and the last few weeks. Everything. They sat there blinking and nodding, Lambert, of course, made some sly comments along the way. 

“So you two have been talking with flowers for the past few weeks?” Eskel stated after he was done. 

“Yep.” Geralt replied. 

His brothers knew about Jaskier, now, there was no going back. Geralt felt a strange sense of relief. Like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Half of it at least, because there was still Vesemir left. 

“This must be the sappiest shit i’ve ever heard, ” Lambert snorted. 

“Well remember that time when-”

“Alright I get it, keep Aiden out of this.”

Geralt chuckled, the fact that Lambert knew exactly what he was talking about, was quite telling. 

“Well, Geralt, you want to talk to him face to face now, " Eskel said after a moment. 

"Yes." 

“Why don’t you just go up to him?” Lambert suggested. 

“No, I can’t just do that.”

“Yes you can.”

He could not though. Gods know how Jaskier would react. No, he had to prepare him first. 

“Maybe Geralt wants to take it slow Lambert, " Eskel chimed in, coming to the Geralt's rescue. 

“Come on he’s had weeks already," Lambert replied. 

“I want to be gentle about it, I don’t want Jaskier to have a heart attack, " Geralt answered. 

He wanted to do this right. Jaskier was too important for him. He did not want to spook him off. He wanted to make him comfortable and be sure that he was ready, before doing anything.  
They all sat there for a few minutes, thinking about a course of actions. Even Lambert looked deep in thoughts. 

“Why don’t you write him something?” Eskel proposed after some time. 

“Writing?”

“Yeah you said that he liked poems and songs right? Write him something.” Lambert agreed.

“A letter,” Geralt said, a smile slowly spreading on his lips as he looked at Eskel. 

“Yeah, a letter,” the latter responded while returning his smile.

Brilliant, Geralt thought. He wanted to hug his brothers right now. 

"This is a great idea," he exclaimed. 

“Of course it is, I just had it,” Lambert boasted proudly.

“We did,” Eskel corrected.

“Whatever.”

Lambert then got up and patted Geralt’s arm before heading towards the door.

“You owe me,” he claimed just as he was out the room.

Geralt smiled, not really caring about what his brother would ask of him. He had found a solution at last! A letter. Jaskier would absolutely love it! Geralt got up from his seat abruptly, suddenly feeling refreshed. . 

“Thank you,” he proclaimed, before going towards his room.

“You’re welcome,” he heard Eskel’s voice shout back.

In his room, Geralt found some enchanted papers and a quill before sitting at his desk. After weeks of giving short responses and watching Jaskier from afar, he knew exactly what to write.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope that you guys are still enjoying this story, the next chapter is coming soon!! Love you all!!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are most welcomed. If y'all want to say hi, I'm moonysourenza on Tumblr.


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